Just Another Romance Story
by LiveLaffPiano97
Summary: This actually has nothing to do with Lemonade mouth... I couldn't find any other category. Sorry :  I suck at reviews... so read inside! This was the first story I ever wrote, and it isn't very good, but read it anyway. You know you want to:


**A/N: Heyoo... I know that I'm supposed to be working on right now, but I found this on my computer the other day. It was the first story I ever wrote, and I thought I would post it. I'm actually not that bug of a Greyson Chance fan, but he was the only one that fit this character I had in my head. REVIEW! :) it's probably gonna suck, but I was like thirteen when I wrote it. Cut me some slack!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own any of the songs in here. They all belong to their rightful owners :)**

CHAPTER ONE

OLIVIA

It was around eight thirty when the first fight started. I heard my parents start yelling at each other, and knew that I was in for a big one. My two older brothers, Jared and Casey, had been gone all afternoon. That was normal for them, though.

I had been reading in my room for about an hour when it started. There was a small bookstore nestled in one of the downtown streets, and I was a normal customer. The old man that owned it was one of my old teachers that had retired. He usually let me borrow the books instead of buying them.

The yelling got louder and louder, until there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, my mom and dad were standing there, arguing. I swallowed, prepared for the worst. My dad glanced at me.

''will you tell your mother that she is being unreasonable?" he yelled at me. They dragged me into their fights regularly.

''No! You are the one being unreasonable!" my mom yelled. My dad turned to me, and I could smell alcohol on his breath.

''What do you think?" I didn't say anything, and immediately regretted it. He glared at me, then raised his hand. I flinched, and he hit me. They turned around and stalked down the hallway. Once they were gone, I noticed that my head was throbbing. My dad's watch had hit right under my eye, and it had turned red and swollen.

I went back to reading, and there was another knock on my door. It was my brother, Casey. Everyone said that we looked alike: we both had brown hair, blue eyes, a few freckles across our nose and cheeks, and rectangular glasses. He looked nervous.

''What's up?" I asked him. His eyes darted to me.

''Something went... wrong today. Jared and I won't be back for a while.''

''What happened?"

''Nothing... it's fine. Just remember that we both love you, Liv.'' He eyed the bruise on my cheek. ''And we'll try and get you out of here as soon as we can.'' He smiled nervously at me, kissed my forehead, and left. I stood there in stunned silence for a few seconds when the first sirens started. My heart started beating faster. Surely not. Surley they weren't being _arrested._ Jared and Casey were the nicest people I knew. They tried to earn money to help pay bills and debts. They were in college, working to get teaching degrees in Literature. They were the reason I loved reading, and they had the idea to name me after a Shakespeare character. How could they be in any sort of trouble?

The flashing red, blue, and white lights seeped through my window.

CHAPTER TWO

Greyson

This was _not_ my idea. To change my appearence and go back to my old school. After spending a year and a half in Hollywood. It was my parents. They were always trying to find ''better opportunities'' for me and my older sister, Reagan.

''If I didn't know it was you, I wouldn't even recognize who you were!" my dad exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. I didn't think that I looked all that different. They cut my hair and dyed it from light brown to a dark reddish-brown.

''It looks good,'' Reagan said from the back of the room. We looked alike: Brown hair, brown eyes, basicly average. I ignored her comment. That was something she always did. Give a quick approval to make it seem like she was listening instead of reading an article in a magazine about her favorite band.

''We have plane tickets for Missouri, and should land around eight in the evening.'' My mom walked into the room, holding tickets in her hands.

''You are packed, right?" I nodded, and she sighed. The rest of the day was spent in last minute preparations for the flight.

I'm not even going to bother explaining the entire next day. We got to my aunt and uncle's house, where we would be staying, around ten that night. They were away on vacation to Italy, like they did every year. Their house was awesome, but my favorite place was the backyard. You couldn't see over the wood fence because it was overflowing with plants. There was a covered patio off the house, and in the back corner was a little pond. There were metal chairs and a table in front of it, and a waterfall on the right side. It was the best part of the house, in my opinion.

I had to ride the bus to and from school, which was yet another down side. I was one of the first to get on, and one of the last to get off. The school was exactly how I remembered it. Green lockers, white and grey tile floors, and same old boring classrooms.

After homeroom, I had Literature, then Science. Lunch was after Algebra 1. If you have ever been to a new school, where you don't know _anyone_, you'd know that it is _complete torture_. You end up looking like a complete idiot sitting by yourself. And the cafeteria food is awful.

School let out at three that afternoon. The lock on my locker was jammed, and I was late catching the bus. Almost all the seats were taken, and there was a line to get on. A gorilla of a guy was in front of me, wearing all black, just like his friends in front of him. When we got to around the middle of the bus, he chuckled to himself, and turned to a brown-haired girl with rectangular glasses reading a book.

''Hey!" he shouted to his friends. ''Look who it is!" She practically wilted under his gaze.

''Heard about your brothers,'' he continued, ''First your parents, now them...'' he leaned in close to her. ''You're next.'' He and his friends laughed. He snatched her book, which was more like a cinderblock. He threw it to the ground and smashed it with an enormous foot. She flinched every time he stepped on it, like it was her most valued posession. He laughed and held it high above his head.

''Hey, knock it off.'' I almost didn't believe I had said that. Gorilla guy stood up to his full height, and turned around.

''What?" he asked, staring at me.

''I said to stop.'' He smiled.

''Standing up for the freakjob, huh, new kid. Word of advice: not a good thing to associate yourself with.'' He laughed and turned around, then sat down in the seat across from hers. When I tried to pass him, he pushed me into her seat.

''I guess I'm sitting here, then.'' She glanced at me, never looking me in the eye. The bus driver stood up, trying to talk over the noise.

''Hey!" It got quieter. ''Because of issues with the bus system, where you are sitting now is your new assigned seat.'' Everyone groaned. The door opened for one last person to get on, sending unusually cold late September air parading down the aisle. I recognized the girl that got on: Saber Greene. She was your typical popular jerk. I actually _liked_ her when I went to school here, until I realized how horrible she was. When she passed my seat, she looked at me skeptically, like she knew who I was. I looked down quickly.

It was unusually quiet on the bus that day. The only sound other than whispered talking was the radio. They were playing WRIZ, the music station that everyone listened to. It played any kind of music you could ask for: old rock, pop, country, and everything in between. The first song was "Dream On" by Aerosmith, then "How to Save a Life" by The Fray.

After about thirty minutes, only me, the girl I was sitting next to, and Saber were left. At a red light, I heard Saber stand up and walk towards me. Soon, she was standing beside me. She glared daggers at the girl next to me.

''Get up,'' Saber barked. She quickly shut her book and stood up to leave. Ididn't like Saber, so I wasn't about to let her have what she wanted. I stood up and put my arm in front of her so she couldn't leave. I glared back at Saber.

''Can't. Assigned seats.'' Saber scowled at the girl behind me, then flipped her blonde hair and left. I sat back down.

''She is such a jerk,'' I said to no one in particular.

''Got that right,'' came a muffled reply from beside me. I glanced at her. She still had her nose in the huge book entitled ''Great Expectations". Her brown hair hung in waves around her face, and her rectangular glasses hid her eyes, so I couldn't even tell what color they were.

I stood up to get off at my stop, and she did too. I snuck a quick last glance at Saber, just in time to see a scowl creep across her face. Mission accomplished.

CHAPTER THREE

OLIVIA

The bus driver was one of Jared's old teachers, who had retired. He said hi to me on the way in and out everyday.

''How are Jared and Casey?" he asked today, his face full of concern.

''Haven't heard from them. I think they'll be in for a while.'' He smiled at me, pity all over his expression. I didn't want pity. Pity meant that it really _was_ bad. I had tried to tell myself over and over that my brothers didn't do anything wrong, but Casey was allowed to call me the other day. They had been accused of armed robbery, for holding up a store. I still loved them to death, but was kind of ashamed of them.

When I stepped out, the cold air hit me like an iron curtain. My house was away from the others on the street. The driveway was more like a never ending dirt road, and was overgrown with trees and bushes. The guy I had been sitting next to walked towards the biggest and nicest house on the street, maybe two or three of mine. I don't think he meant for me to see when he turned around. He caught my eye, and smiled at me. It wasn't the kind of smile the bus driver had given me, one out of pity, and it made my insides twist and turn. I looked down.

When I reached the beginning of my road, I stopped. I didn't want to go home. Not with all the fighting and yelling that always happened. I decided to meet my friend Skylar at the library.

The library was more of a Victorian Era house. There were three stories, fireplaces in almost all the rooms, and bookshelves lining each wall. It was more like home than where I lived, because I spent so much time there. The librarians knew me and Skylar by name.

Skylar met me there a few minutes later. It was within walking distance of both of our houses, and was like a safehouse for both of us. Whenever something went wrong, we met there, so I knew she expected there to be something out of order.

We were about as different as you can get, appearance wise. Her dad was African American, but her mom was caucasian, so she had this year-long-tan thing going on, while I was as pale as a ghost. She was quite a bit shorter than me, and her hair was black and curly. Mine was brown and only a little wavy. Dispite all these differences, we had the same taste in just about everything. Books, movies, music, clothes, even art.

''Hey,'' she said softly when she walked in. I smiled at her, then we walked to our favorite seats in front of the fireplace.

''What's up?" she asked as soon as we sat down. She was good at reading expressions.

''Um, Jared and Casey were... arrested.'' She gasped.

''You're joking.'' I shook my head. She gave me the pity look. By then, I was sick of it.

''When?"

"A few nights ago.''

''What'd they do?"

''They were accused of armed robbery. They held up a store.''

''But they are like _the_ nicest people I know! They couldn't do anything bad!" She still didn't believe me. I went through the entire story again, almost not believing it myself. She shook her head, and gave me the pity look again.

''I'm so sorry,'' she said.

''It's fine. Just drop it,'' I replied, turning back to my book. We spent the rest of the time there in silence.

CHAPTER FOUR

Greyson

''How was your first day?" my mom asked as soon as I walked in. Didn't she know me well enough by now to realize that the answer would always be the same?

''Fine,'' I mumbled, and a look of dissapointment fell on her expression.

Dad took us out to the nicest restaraunt within a fifty mile radius that night. I tried to explain that I didn't want to go, but he insisted. Reagan did all of the talking.

''My classes are _so_ boring,'' she said, complaining about almost everything. ''And everytime someone sees me, they ask where Greyson is!'' She glared at me from across the table.

That night, after we got home, I went into the backyard. Reagan came out shortly afterwards, and sat beside me.

''School's crappy,'' she said.

''Got that right.''

''Did you see any of your old friends?"

''Yeah.''

''Did they recognize you?"

''No.'' She sighed, and after a second, stood up and went inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

CHAPTER FIVE

OLIVIA

To catch the bus which came at six fourty-five, I had to get up in the morning at five thirty, when it was still dark out. Snow had come off and on that night, leaving the ground dusted with white. I had been waiting for the bus for a few minutes when the guy from yesterday came outside too. I was almost happy when the bus rolled around the corner.

I'm not even going to explain the entire school day, but I realized that the guy I had to sit next to on the bus for the rest of the year was in four of my classes.

Something you should know about me, is that I've been secretly playing the piano for a year and a half. Yes. Secretly. I taught myself from a book I found in the old middle school. Nobody used the middle school anymore, because a new Jr. High was built. In the audetorium, they left an old grand piano, I guess because they didn't need it. My old music teacher had given me a key to the back door. Don't ask me why, because I didn't get it either.

After school, I was happy not to take the bus home, and walked towards the middle school, which was a few minutes away. I unlocked the door, and slipped inside. A few windows let light in, revealing all the dust and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. I opened the squeaky door that lead to the audetorium, and shut it behind me. There weren't any windows, so it was dark, until I found the flashlight I had hid in one of the back rows of seats.

After finding my way to the stage, I retrieved the music I had been writing from the back closet behind the curtains, and began to play. The piano was _really_ old. The company was Conrad, which stopped it's mass productions in the 1920s. It was over ninety years old, but still played beautifully.

I had been playing for a few minutes, when I looked up and spotted a silhouette in the side doorway. I abrubtly let my fingers fall from the keys and to the bench beside me. I think I might have jumped. He started walking towards me. I suddenly realized with horror that it was the guy from the bus again.

''Don't stop,'' he said, still walking up the steps. ''Sounded good.'' He walked around to my side of the piano. He was taller than me by a few inches, and had dark reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. He was behind me, and I guessed he was reading the music I was writing. I wondered if he was just looking at it, or actually reading it.

''Did you write this?" I wanted to say no.

''Yeah,'' I said quietly.

''Woah.'' Before I knew it, he was sitting beside me on the bench. Then, he put his fingers on the keys and started playing it. _Perfectly_. As in "with no mistakes". I sat there in stunned slience, until he finished. He looked at me, and laughed, I guess because of the look on my face.

''You really wrote that?" I nodded. He chuckled to himself.

''Wow,'' he said under his breath. Then, he sat up straighter and looked at me.

''I'm Greyson,'' he said, and held his hand out.

''Olivia,'' I replied, and shook his hand. A weird shock went up my right arm when he touched it.

CHAPTER SIX

Greyson

Olivia. She was the one from the bus. The one that got made fun of. The one that never spoke. But she wrote music. _Incredible_ music. It was kind of creepy, and sad sounding, but I liked it. I _really_ liked it.

It was cold when we walked to the bus station. Our bus stations weren't like benches, but more like a subway station, only not underground. The sky was grey, and there was a chance of snow.

We had been on the bus for only a few minutes when, go figure, Saber got on. I hated how she kept showing up everywhere. She smiled at me, and glared at Olivia, then sat behind us. A few seconds later, she leaned forward and whispered something in Olivia's ear, then scowled at her. The bus stopped, and Olivia stood up and rushed to get off. Saber didn't waste any time taking the seat next to me. She waited until the bus started moving again to talk.

''I know who you are,'' she said matter-of-factly. I decided to act like I didn't know what she was talking about.

''You should. I'm in your math, history, _and_ science classes.'' She fake-laughed.

''No, not that! I meant,'' she leaned in, too close for my opinion. ''I know that you're famous.''

I stood up to get off, trying to pretend like what she had just said wasn't a jab in my stomach.

''Good for you,'' I said, then walked into the aisle. The doors shut before she could follow me. I had been walking for a few minutes when I saw Olivia walking out of a bookstore. I caught up with her, just as snowflakes started falling.

CHAPTER SEVEN

OLIVIA

"Hey.'' I looked beside me and saw Greyson, who I had only met a few minutes before. I was surprised that he had followed me.

''Hi,'' I replied, and glanced down at the book I had just borrowed. He looked at it.

''_Twelfth Night_? What's that?" My eyes immidiately fell to it's ancient cover.

''Nothing,'' I replied quickly, hiding the book in my arms. He stopped walking and put his hand on my arm, then gently pulled it from my grasp. I couldn't help flinching at his touch. Whenever a guy had touched me, it was my dad, and he didn't exactly meet the normal standard. He examined the cover, then flipped through it's pages with care.

''Who wrote it?" he asked, and looked up at me.

''Shakespeare.'' His eyes widened.

''You understand this?" I nodded. He looked at a page, obviously trying to read it. I couldn't help smiling. He looked up at me, and smiled.

''I don't get it.'' He handed the book back to me. The snow continued falling, the entire way that we walked home. It was only a few blocks, but it went by fast. By the time our street came into view, I guess you could almost call us friends.

''See you tomorrow,'' he said as he walked towards his house. I have to say that I felt a sigh of relief at the chance of having more than one friend.

I walked the rest of the way home, and as soon as I opened the door, smelled smoke. The only time my parents smoked was when they weren't talking to each other. I was almost relieved when they didn't fight that night. Jared and Casey were going to be in jail for a minimum of fifteen years, which meant I had plenty of time to miss them. When I had talked to Casey, he had promised to write me every chance he could. I didn't know how many chances he would get.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Greyson

A lot happened over the next two weeks. One: My friend, Trey, recognized me. Two: Olivia and I are pretty much friends by now. Three: Saber won't leave me alone.

At school on on Friday, I was sitting in History, my last class of the day. The teacher, Mr. Danielson, was droning on about some war in the 1700s. Everyone else was following along in the book, and I was pretending that I was. Something about a battle in Europe and part of Asia, but that's really all I caught. The minute hand on the clock seemed frozen solid, because it hadn't moved in forever. That was catchy. _Watching the minute hand, frozen solid, not moving..._ I quickly etched this thought into my mind before staring off into space for the millionth time in the past hour.

With only twenty minutes left in class, I found no reason to listen at all. Everyone else was listening intentley and taking vigorous notes. I didn't even realize it when I wrote on the right corner of my book page. When I looked up, I saw Olivia out of the corner of my eye, watching what I was doing. I thought I was busted. Then, she tilted her book so I could see the inside. She had put one of her books inside the textbook, to make it look like she was paying attention and reading, but really wasn't. I guess we had more in common than I thought.

After class, I was almost late catching the bus again. Seemed like that was happening a lot lately. I tried to hurry into my seat, making only the nececary stops as not to run into anyone. The same gorilla guy I had run into a few weeks ago was already there. He was still almost twice my size, and tried to pick on Olivia whenever I wasn't around. Right then, he was talking to her about something, obviously trying to make her mad. She was just looking out the window, but I could tell that he was bothering her.

I took my normal seat, and he stopped. Saber had tried to get my attention numerous times that day, but I had ignored her every chance I could. She still managed to try and get me to walk home with her, and for a split second, I almost said yes. She was one of those people that you wanted to make happy. I could see why Olivia didn't argue with her demands.

Snow dusted the sides of the roads, and blanketed rooftops and fences. Three feet had fallen the night before, but school still wasn't cancelled. This was the kind of place where there had to be twenty feet of snow and ice for school to be let out. Inside the bus was freezing, because the heater was busted.

After everyone had gotten off, it was just the three of us again. I was noticing that Saber was on my mind a lot lately. I didn't know why, because I thought I was over her. I knew that she was an awful person, and that she didn't deserve to be liked, yet I still did.

And for some odd reason, those thoughts led me to Olivia. I didn't recognize the connection. She was something else. Sometimes she was quiet, and didn't say anything all day. Other times, she talked some, more than usual. She had told me the other day that one of her biggest fears was loosing. I had thought it was a joke at first, but then a thought came to me. What if she didn't mean loosing as in competitivness? What if it was like believing in something, then having it all crumble apart?

_Still we believe we can, but we're afraid of loosing..._

CHAPTER NINE

SKYLAR

Flash forward a week. Me, Olivia, Greyson, and his friend Trey are practically best friends by now. We all sit together at lunch, and meet after school almost everyday at the only ice cream place in town. I know that's a _huge_ adjustment to make in one week, but that's just how it went.

It was still freezing outside, and Halloween was in a few days. We walked from school to the ice cream place, which was only a few blocks away. I noticed that Olivia had been especially quiet and uneasy the past few days, and had barely spoken at all today. I knew it must have something to do with her brothers being in jail. She and Casey had been especially close. They did almost everything together, and he was the one person that she thought she could talk to. Casey was the sweetest guy in the world, he was almost like my older brother too. Even though he was eighteen and four years older than me, I had always secretly thought of him as my back up plan if niether of us was married by the time I was twenty-five. Olivia looked down at the sidewalk the entire way there, not saying anything. The only time she would even glance up was when Greyson talked to her.

The owner of the ice cream place greeted us by name, and we sat down in our normal spot by the window in front. Olivia gazed out the window, obviously deep in thought. Even though I had known her for almost two years, she was still as unreadable as ever. You could never what was on her mind. Silence said the words she wouldn't.

We stayed for about a half hour, then went our seperate ways. Trey lived a few houses in front of mine, so I walked with him. He was quite a bit taller than me, and had longish brown hair and hazel eyes. The first thing I notice about someone is the color of their eyes. With Olivia, the first thing I noticed was her shockingly blue eyes, and with Greyson his dark brown ones. There was still snow on the ground, and it hid the ice underneath, making it hard not to fall down.

''So, weren't you friends with that guy that got famous like three years ago?" I asked him after we left. He looked down.

''Yeah.''

''What was his name again?" He looked at me.

''Did you finish that stupid essay Mr. Carr asked us to do?" Trey asked me, obviously avoiding the conversation.

''No. I have to finish it when I get home. You?"

''Same.''

''English is crappy.'' I replied. He smiled.

''No kidding.'' It was silent. Light snowflakes fell, and the roads were still covered. Now, some people think that what happened next was fate playing it's first role. I just think it was a coincidence. Here's what happened exactly:

It had been quiet for a few more seconds before I slipped on a patch of ice hidden beneath a few inches of snow. I lost my footing, and was about to humiliate myself permanently, when I felt Trey's arm catch me just in time. He slowly pulled me back up, and I met his eyes. It seemed like I held his gaze forever, and I didn't understand why my heart was pounding. I stared into his hazel eyes, and the nervous feeling in my stomach heightened.

''Um,'' I pointed to where my house was. ''I should get home.'' He acted like I had snapped him out of a trance by talking.

''Yeah. Me too.'' I noticed that his arm had been around me the entire time. He slowly stepped away, the snow crunching under his feet, leaving dozens of diamond shaped footprints from his Converse. I watched him walk to his house, then go inside. I was frozen where I was. I still had that nervous feeling in my stomach, and my eyes were glued to his door. What was wrong with me? The last time I had ever felt like this was when I had a massive crush on Stevie Harper in the sixth grade-wait... no way. It was_ not_ possible. No chance. Ugh. Why deny it. It was totally true. I braced myself for the weeks to come.

CHAPTER TEN

SKYLAR

I was called to the principal's office on Wednesday, and when I got there, he looked angry. Ethan, a guy from my science class that was your typical troublemaker was there, and so was Trey. My heartbeat quickened.

''Please sit down,'' Mr. Wense said angrily. I took the last empty seat in front of his giant desk. Mr. Wense was a huge black guy, maybe six five, and looked like he could be a lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. Ethan was gazing out the window, his foot tapping fast, but Trey was just sitting there, looking as easygoing as ever. My heart was pounding a million miles an hour, because I hated being in trouble.

''Someone in this room is in _big_ trouble,'' Mr. Wense said quietly. He looked like he was going to snap the pen in his hand in half.

''One of you _sabatoshed_ a class room on Monday evening. I don't know if it was a Halloween prank, but you will be severely punished. If one of you doesn't admit to this, you will all be punished equally.'' He eyed me suspiciously, like I was the one that did it. I glanced at Trey, who still looked as happy as could be. How was he so calm? Was he the one that pulled the prank?

''I saw who did it,'' Ethan said. I looked at him. He was short, pudgy, had super long black hair, and never associated with anyone but himself. He reminded me of that kid on 'The Addams Family'. I think his name was Pugsly, or something. Mr. Wense raised his eyebrows. Ethan looked at Trey, then me.

''It was her,'' he replied casually. I wanted to scream. Trey seemed to snap back to reality, and sat up in his chair. Mr. Wense glared daggers at me.

''I will see you in detention for the next three weeks, _after_ your suspension is over,'' he said, a guilty grin on his face. Trey butted in.

''No she didn't! We were _both_ out Monday night,'' he said, eyebrows smushed together in anger. Part of me wanted to jump for joy that he was defending me, but another wanted to flee the room.

''You do not have any proof of that.''

''Yeah!" Ethan said.

''I'm not lying! Ask this guy,'' he said, pointing at Ethan, ''what he was doing Monday night.'' Mr. Wense turned to Ethan, and his face went red.

''I was, uh, uhm,'' he stuttered, and Mr. Wense looked back down to the paper he was reading.

''Mr. Matthews, I will see you in detention for _five_ weeks, _after_ your two week suspension is over. You are all dismissed.'' He didn't say anything else. I darted from my chair and out of the room. Out of the office, the halls were empty. Trey had followed me out.

''Justice has been served,'' he said cheerfully as we walked out. I stopped.

''But when Ethan comes back, I-''

''I'll handle it. But let's talk about something more important, like, how you're going to _thank me_ for getting you out of trouble.'' The cheezy half-grin on his face made the nervous feeling in my stomach get worse.

''What'd you have in mind?" I asked, trying not to show how nervous I was around him. He stepped closer to me, and looked at the wall.

''Oh, I don't know, maybe-'' He didn't get to finish because that's when he kissed me. _Trey kissed me!_ After a few seconds, he pulled back, then looked at the wall. It was silent.

''I have a French exam,'' he said. I was breathless, and the words popped out before I could stop them.

''I think you just passed it.'' He cracked a small smile, then walked away. The bell rang and people rushed into the halls. I was frozen where I was, still breathless.

CHAPTER TEN

Greyson

Long story short, on Thursday, Skylar, Trey, and I ended up taking my bus to Olivia's house when she wasn't at school. We walked down the long dirt driveway, and towards the door. Her house was tiny, and hidden behind trees and overgrown bushes. All the paint was peeling, and broken glass bottles littered the yard. I couldn't believe that she lived here. There was a white ''notice'' sign on the door. Skylar walked towards the door, and read the sign, then walked back towards us, her face pale.

''What happened?" Trey asked her, and she hesitated before answering.

''They're gone,'' she replied at almost a whisper.

''Gone where?"

''Her parents were arrested.'' It was quiet. Olivia never let on that her parents were doing anything wrong. Come to think of it, she never complained at all.

''Where's Olivia?" I asked as she pulled out her phone. After talking for a minute, she started walking up the driveway without saying anything.

We took a bus to a small, run-down neighborhood a few minutes away. I noticed when we passed the huge neighborhood where Saber lived. I didn't know why I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was a jerk and I knew it, but it didn't stop. I shook the thoughts from my mind. Skylar still didn't tell us where we were going. We walked to the smallest and oldest house on the street, and Skylar knocked on the door. It was quiet for a while, until I heard someone unlocking and unchaining the door. It opened, and I was surprised to see Olivia. Skylar immidiately hugged her, but she was looking at me. I smiled at her to try and brighten her mood, but she looked down.

Turns out, she was living with her grandmother now, a small, turtle of an old lady with a cane. The inside of the house smelled like someone had been baking, but it was cluttered. The cushions on the couch were mismatched, and the paint was peeling on all the walls. Olivia didn't talk for the first few minutes; I guess she was embarassed that we were here.

Half an hour later, we were laying on the roof outside Olivia's window, looking at the clouds. The sun was setting behind the trees, and it started to get a little colder.

''I think it's a giant old lady with an umbrella.'' We were guessing what we thought the clouds looked like. Trey was way off.

''No, it's an upside down hand,'' I replied. Olivia hesitated.

''Skip me. I'm not ready.''

''I don't see anything but a big white blob,'' Skylar said. ''Sometimes I think I'm the biggest dummy in the world.'' I didn't get what she was saying at first, but then she went into explaination about how she couldn't keep her grades up, and how her parents were dissapointed in her because of it. It was quiet.

''Well, I guess it's my turn,'' Trey said. ''I feel like I'm keeping too many secrets.'' I knew what he was talking about. I told him not to tell anyone who I was, even Skylar and Olivia. It was eating me up inside not telling them, because I didn't like keeping secrets from them.

I said that I almost wished I had a time machine. Of course, I didn't tell them that it was because I was famous, and wished I could change my decision. It felt weird opening up to everyone like this.

''What about you, Olivia. Anything to confess?" Trey asked her. She didn't say anything for the longest time. I was starting to think she hadn't heard him.

''No. But I'm really glad you guys came. It means a lot.'' It was a nice thing to say, but I knew that there was so much more she could have told us. Like how she ended up living in this creepy house in the woods with her grandmother, and why she didn't have anywhere else to go. And most of all about her parents. I knew I wasn't the only one wondering about this stuff. It was like she kept it all behind a door she never opened. And the empty feeling in my stomach made me realize how much I wished she would let me in.

I stayed longer than anyone else. It was getting dark, and the last rays of sun were setting over the horizon. Her grandmother's house was only a few minutes walking distance from mine, so it was easy to get home. She walked outside with me, and to the end of the driveway. I realized how close I was walking to her, and the thoughtful look on her face.

''What are you thinking about?" I asked her. She cracked a small smile. Her words came out a whisper.

''Clouds.'' I didn't get it. She had a faraway look on her face. ''And how if you're in one, it can make you blind to what's right in front of you.'' She looked at me, and I held her gaze. It seemed like those pretty blue eyes could see straight through me and all the lies I had tried so desperately to keep from them. After what seemed like forever, she turned around and slowly started walking towards the door and onto the porch.

''And another thing about clouds is that they never dissapoint you. They can be anything you want them to be.'' I waited because I thought she was going to say something else. She looked especially tired in the dim light. I realized two things. One, she wasn't going to say anything. And two, with Olivia, silence could say a lot.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

OLIVIA

After first period, I was at my locker when Skylar came barreling around the corner yelling my name. I wanted to shrink into myself, because she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

''What?" I asked when she got close enough. She grabbed my wrist, never slowing down, and took me around the corner by the janitor's closet.

''What do you want?" I asked, but the look of happiness on her face stopped me where I was.

''What did you do?" I asked.

''_I_ didn't do anything.''

''Tell me what happened!"

She looked around, then whispered, ''Trey just kissed me!'' A huge grin lit up her face.

''No way.'' I couldn't help the smile from spreading. She nodded.

''I don't think I can stop smiling!" she exclaimed. She repeated the scene about twenty times before the final bell rung. I was walking to the front of the school to catch my bus when I was called to the office. My heart stopped when I walked in and saw my parents standing there. Turns out, they were bailed out of jail by a ''family friend'', and I couldn't live with my grandmother anymore. As boring as it was at her house, I liked it much better than being at home with my parents.

''After being gone so long,'' my dad said as we drove home, ''we have a lot to catch up on.'' I'm not going to go into detail about what happened next, because you _really_ don't want to hear it. Later that night, my parents had left to go somewhere when there was a knock on the door. I left the chain on the door to open it, and peered outside. Greyson was standing there. I quickly opened the door all the way and closed it behind me, careful to hide my right arm behind my back.

''What are you doing here?" I asked him.

''Hi, Greyson! How are you? I'm fine, Olivia, thanks for asking.'' I smiled.

''Hi. What are you doing here?"

''What are _you_ doing here? I thought you were living somewhere else,'' he said, a concerned look on his face.

''Not anymore, I- my parents were bailed out of jail today.'' He stared intently at me for a few more seconds.

''Are you okay?"

''Yeah. Absolutely fine,'' I replied, and it seemed to satisfy him, but I could tell that he still didn't believe me. He sighed.

''Okay, see you tomorrow.'' He walked away, and I closed the door quietly. I pulled my arm from behind my back, revealing a red gash extending from my wrist to my elbow. The way Greyson was so concerned about me made me feel like I needed to tell him more.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Greyson

Olivia was waiting at the corner of County Road and Massasoit just like she'd promised. Skylar and Trey arrived soon after, each of us bundled for the cold. Once more I tried to get Olivia to tell us what this was all about, but she still wasn't talking. And once more, all she said was, ''Do you trust me?"

Everybody looked exasperated. ''Of course we do.''

But she still didn't seem sure. ''Wait then. You'll see.''

It was a weird feeling, not knowing where we were going. And dragging myself out of bed at seven a.m. wasn't something I normally did on a weekend. But the invitation was so strange. Olivia had asked us one at a time, pulling me aside one Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Her face had been flushed, and her voice unnaturally timid, even for her. She wanted me to go somewhere with her, but she wouldn't say where. Except that it was going to take most of the day and that we wouldn't be back until late afternoon. She also asked if I had a passport or birth certificate.

''Sure, I got a passport two years ago when we went to Mexico. But what do I need that for? You planning to take us out of the country?"

"No,'' she'd said, her face serious. ''But make sure you bring it, okay?"

The whole thing was a mystery. An adventure. How could any of us help being curious? Besides, I had nothing better to do. If I stayed home, I'd probably end up listening to Reagan drone on and on about every problem in the world.

Eventually, the bus pulled up and we got on. The bus had that certain plastic smell, one I was familiar with from riding it when I had lived here. The seats were half full. I took the spot next to Olivia, and Trey and Skylar sat in the seat behind.

Olivia was barely visible inside her jacket. She wouldn't look up. Her foot kept tapping on the floor.

''What's the matter? You all right?"

"I'm fine,'' she said.

But there was definitly something weird going on. She was usually pretty quiet, but I'd never seen her like this.

''Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you something.'' I fished around in my pocket until I found the tiny plastic compass I'd pulled out of my desk drawer at home. I reached across and gave it to her. ''In case we get lost on the way to wherever you're taking us.''

Skylar, who was leaning over the back seat, laughed. Olivia smiled. I couldn't help realizing that it was the first time I'd ever seen her actually smile since we'd met. I studied her face. There was something different about Olivia lately, only I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. I knew it was something basic. I searched for clues in her eyes, but that just confused me even more. Until that moment, I would have said that they were grey, but now I knew they weren't. They were the same color as the sky outside, the bluest I'd ever seen. They were amazing.

She pulled me out of my thoughts when she suddenly said, ''I'm glad we're doing this, guys.''

But doing what? At the next station, we bought tickets for another bus. As we left Missouri, Trey finally said, ''Are you going to tell us where we're headed or what?"

''Soon.'' The further north we traveled, the faster Olivia's foot tapped. After we passed through Manchester, she closed her eyes and started taking long delibarate breaths and exhaling slowly.

''Relax,'' I whispered into her ear. ''Everything's going to be all right.'' I put my hand on her arm to try and calm her.

But then as we passed the first exit off I-93 into Concord, a change came over her. She gripped the arm of the chair, sat up straight and opened her eyes. ''Okay,'' she said. ''I'm ready for my confession.''

Skylar shifted in her seat, and she and Trey leaned forward.

She took a deep breath. ''About a month ago, my brothers, Casey and Jared, were arrested.''

I watched her face. Her eyes were focused on the back of the seat in front of her, her fingers picking absently at the fabric on the arm of her chair.

''I didn't think that it would be _them_, because my parents were always getting into some kind of trouble. They get in fights, do drugs. Once, when I was little, they both dissapeared for three whole months. My oldest brother, Casey, took care of me while they were gone. He was always reading to me.'' Her face got a little softer. ''Did you know I'm named after a character from Shakespeare?"

We all shook our heads.

''_Twelfth Night_,'' she said, with the faintest of smiles. She sat back again. ''Anyway, he started taking night courses at a college. He was going to be an English teacher.''

''So what happened?"

''Well,'' she said after a pause, ''he tried to get a job but couldn't, so he started to get involved in drinking. And one night he got so desperate, he decided to hold up a store.''

I realized her face had gone pale.

''Listen, Olivia,'' Trey said. ''If you don't want to say any more you don't have to.''

''No, I want to,'' she said slowly, still pulling at the threads of her armrest. She closed her eyes. When she spoke next her voice was almost a whisper. ''He didn't even own a gun. What he pointed at the old man behind the counter was a fake, a plastic toy. But it looked real enough. Enough to scare the storeowner, anyway. The owner reached under the counter and pulled out a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. His wasn't a fake. When the owner stepped forward, it scared my brother, and he jumped him. The gun went off in the old man's leg. He died that night from a heart attack.''

The bus pulled onto an exit ramp and somewhere at the far edge of my consciousness I heard the driver announce our arrival at the next stop. But I didn't catch a word of it. All my concentration was on Olivia. The doors swung open and other passengers stood up and made their way down the aisle. Some of them gave us curious glances.

''This is our stop,'' she said. But without making any move to gather her things, she added, ''I'm not making any excuses for what he did. I _know_ my brother did a terrible, awful thing. and he knows it too. But he's still my brother and I love him. You guys have to understand that he's not a monster or anything. I need you to tell me that you believe me about that. And that you'll give him a chance.''

I felt a strange jumble of emotions. First, a terrible sadness - not only about what happened but also that she'd carried this inside her for so long. But at the same time I was grateful that she'd told us, that she'd finally let us in. I suddenly wanted to touch her again.

''You will, won't you?" she asked. ''Do you trust me?"

''Yes, Olivia,'' I said, taking her hand. ''We're your friends. We trust you.''

The lady at the desk at the Tamworth State Penitentiary greeted Olivia by name. She asked us to empty our pockets while another guard checked bags and took copies of our paperwork. Everybody seemed to know Olivia. And they appeared to be expecting us, like everything was arranged in advance. Eventually we were led into a large visiting room, where a tall, neatly combed guy sat with his hands folded in front of him. As soon as Olivia was close enough, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her while the guard watched.

''Guys,'' Olivia said nervously over his shoulder. ''This is Casey.''

Her brother was tall, maybe six three, and looked exactly like Olivia. The guard watched as he stepped towards us, still a few feet away.

''Hey, Skylar,'' he said, and she waved at him. He and Olivia had the same voice: raspy but soothing at the same time.

''Hey,'' Trey said, holding his hand out. Casey glanced at the guard.

''Sorry, can't do that. The rules. Not contact with anyone except family members, and only twice each visit.'' It started off awkward. He sat at one side of the table, and we sat on the other. After a while, Trey made a joke about the decorations on the walls. They were all white and blank except for a bullitain board on the far wall. Everyone laughed. Then, I saw another family resemblence between Olivia and Casey. Their faces lit up in the same way when they smiled. Olivia was the happiest I'd ever seen her. I was suddenly incredibly happy that I had chosen to come. And I realized that there was more to Olivia and her life than meets the eye.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SKYLAR

I was still in shock from the whole Trey thing the next week. I knew that him kissing me wasn't just a fluke thing, because every time he passed me in the halls, he immidiately stopped what he was doing and walked towards me, and sometimes even held my hand. You can't even begin to imagine how good it felt to have his fingers interlaced between mine. It was like a completely different feeling than I'd ever felt before. And I liked it. I liked it _a lot_.

I met Olivia at her locker one day after school. By now, she and Greyson were used to the idea of me and Trey, and it didn't seem to bother them as much as it did at first.

''Hey,'' she said as I walked up.

''What's up?"

''Nothing much. You?" She glanced up at me for the first time.

''Nothing. Did you finish those crappy math problems Mrs. Granger assigned?" She looked at me and smiled.

''Yup.'' We started walking outside. We passed Greyson and Trey coming from the office, and it seemed like Greyson saved an especially long and intense glance for Olivia, who smiled slightly at him. I couldn't help noticing it.

''What was that?" I asked after they were out of earshot.

''What was what?"

''I _mean_ what just happened. Like a second ago?"

''I don't know what your talking about,'' she replied, still looking straight ahead. I had my suspicions. I was very careful with my next words.

''Hey, uh, maybe you and Greyson should, uh, I don't know, get together?" My words hung in the air for an awkward moment. Her cheeks turned red.

''No, that'd be weird. I don't know what you were thinking,'' she said quickly, then started to walk faster.

''I have to go, see you tomorrow.'' And with that she was gone.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OLIVIA

Skylar's words were still ringing in my head the next week. _Maybe you and Greyson should get together._ What in the world did she mean by that? There was no way that I liked him more than a friend, or more importantly, that _he_ liked _me_ more than that. No way. No possible chance. None. Zip. Zero.

The school was holding a songwriting competition for the Ferbruary talent show, and we were encouraged to write something for it. Somehow Greyson had convinced me to try and write something with him, so I had to meet him at the middle school that afternoon. It had started snowing again, even though it was only the middle of November.

When I came around the corner to the back door to the middle school, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Greyson sitting on one of the benches outside waiting for me. After unlocking the door and going inside, we started. In case you've never tried, you should know that songwriting is pretty hard. I've read thousands of poems and listened to just about every song there is, but I couldn't come up with anything. It was like having writer's block in the middle of an important essay. And it became even worse when I realized that Greyson was pretty much a natural at writing. He blew through a few verses and a couple choruses, while I was still on my first verse.

After about twenty minutes, he tossed his notebook to me from the front row of seats. I guessed what was scrawled on the top was a verse.

Slowly fading away, you're lost and so afraid

Where is the hope in a world so cold

Looking for a distant light, someone who can save a life

Living in fear that no one will hear your cries

''Wow,'' was all I could say.

''You like it?" he asked. I nodded.

''How long exactly have you been doing that?" He shrugged.

''About a year or so,'' he replied, and walked towards the piano. He played a few chords, obviously trying to find one that went with the lyrics. He finally started writing it down on blank sheet music.

''Hey, come here a second,'' he said after a minute. I sat down on the bench beside him. He played a slow, wandering melody that seemed to go perfectly with the lyrics. I was amazed that he could do that so quickly and perfectly.

''Does it sound good?" he asked, and looked at me.

''Yeah, it sounds great,'' I replied. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help remembering the time before we actually met that he had smiled at me in the same way from his porch. I tried to jump out of fantasy land and focus on what was really happening, and unwantingly tore my eyes from his.

He started to teach me how to play it. The chords were pretty simple until the end, where there was one I couldn't get. After a few tries, Greyson helped me. He placed each of my fingers on the right keys: E A and C#, and put his hand on mine, sending what felt like a lighting bolt jolting through every nerve in my left arm. He pressed each of them down, and I noticed that my heart was pounding and my hand was sweating. Even after the ringing of the chord stopped, his hand was still there, on top of mine. All of a sudden, his fingers slid between mine for just a few seconds, like he was contemplating weather to interlock his fingers in mine or pass it off as an accident. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye at exactly the same moment that he quickly pulled his hand up. It was quiet.

''I should, uh, probably get home,'' I said, and he nodded.

''I'll stay here and work on this. We have to turn it in on Thursday.'' I stood up, and so did he, on the other side of the piano. As I reached down to grab my jacket, my eyes melted into his dark brown ones, and I unintentionally released the grip on my jacket and stood back up. I was amazed at the intensity in the way he was staring at me. I couldn't break his gaze... not that I really wanted to...

'_What are you doing? This is Greyson you're thinking these lovey-dovey thoughts about!' _a voice in the back of my head said. I tried to brush it away.

_'I know... That's the exact reason why I'm not fighting it...'_

_'Look away! He's nothing but bad news,' _the other side of my conscience said '_... All he'll do is break your heart... you can tell that he's keeping secrets from you!'_

'_Go away! This is what I've been waiting for for weeks!' _it came back. I was on this one's side.

_'He's your best friend! And shouldn't be anything more... Think about Saber... He's obviously going all googley eyed over her!' _I had forgotten about her. He continued trapping me with his gaze, never even lightening up the intensity in which he was staring at me with. It was like I was in a trance, and time stopped. It was like the only things that existed on the face of the earth were me, Greyson, and my spinning conscience. I noticed that my heart was pounding loud and fast. I guarunteed that he could hear it.

'_That's right. He does like her. And not me. I'm nothing more than a charity case to him... but the way he looks at me with those big brown eyes... No! Stop thinking about him that way!...and the way he's looking at me right now... I feel like I need to puke, this nervousness is making me sick... or, of course...' _the voice said slyly,'_... you could just fill that small gap between you and the guy you know you're falling in love with... it's only a few inches... what are you waiting for?... you know you want to... that's it...just a little futher...STOP THINKING LIKE THIS!... there's only like an inch left between his lips and yours...just take the last half-step seperating you...how the heck did he get this close to me? ...GET IT OUT OF YOUR MIND ALREADY!... but...I can't... because I think I might actually want it to happen... It's eating me up inside...'_

Now, I could feel his breath against mine, interrupting the cold air in the audetorium, and my whirring thoughts. I realized that while I had been off in daydream land, he had been stepping slowly towards me. I had been holding his gaze for at least a solid minute. He was standing right in front of me, looking down at me with an unforgivingly adorable stare that seemed mortaly impossible to break. All this suspension was starting to make me sick, like my insides were jumping all over the place. I could count the different shades of brown in his eyes. My stomach jolted when he looked down at my lips, then back up to my eyes, then did it again. This was seriously not good for my health... or sanity. I watched his eyes start to close, and I knew that it was now or never. He leaned in closer. I felt his arm slip around my waist. He started leaning down as if to kiss me. I took a breath, and his lips had just barely touched mine when there was an unbelievably loud crash from the piano.

I jumped back, and so did Greyson, but we were still only about a foot apart. The music stand had fallen noisily to the floor, scattering the many sheets of music all over the stage. I wanted to scream. Why me? Why now? After using that stupid old music stand for months, it decides to break NOW of all moments? Why couldn't it have fallen at a different time? I suddenly felt a deep loathing to that old Conrad grand piano for the first time since I had started playing it. Greyson glanced from me then back to the music stand that sat in several pieces on the floor. I caught his eye, and quickly made an attempt to gather all of my stuff.

''I'm going to be late for... uhm...'' I didn't even know what I had originally planned to say. It was late at night, I wasn't going to be late for anything.

''Yeah, me too... I'll...uhm...'' I didn't even catch what he was trying to say, because I dashed out of the room after muttering a quick goodbye. After shutting the door almost all the way, I leaned against it. My heavy breaths turned to fog in front of me, illuminated by the orange glowing steetlight on the corner. My head was spinning, and my heart was pounding so hard I thought I might have a heart attack. Then I heard a moan from inside.

''Are you kidding me? Really? You had to fall _NOW? You couldn't have waited like twenty seconds!_'' I could picture Greyson's face as he yelled at the destroyed music stand. I couldn't help smiling. At least I wasn't the only one with a burning passion to beat the piano to smitherines. I could only imagine what would have happened if the stand didn't fall. Twenty seconds of pure heaven is what it sounded like.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Greyson

There was only a small gap between me and Olivia. Only a few inches. Her eyes looked a lot prettier up close. Her breathing got heavy and her heart was beating so loud that I thought it was going to come out of her chest. My face was inches from hers. My eyes looked down at her lips, then back up to her eyes. I could feel her breath, and my face and was inches from kissing her. Although, the way I was imagining it, there wasn't an irritating crash to my right...it didn't stop until...

''Greyson!'' I snapped out of my thoughts. I had been staring at Olivia, thank God it went unnoticed, when my science teacher yelled at me.

''What is the atomic mass of the element Iron, for the millionth time!" Olivia turned around and glanced at me. I saw a smile forming on her lips. I snapped back to reality before Mr. Tyler went into cardiac arrest.

''I don't know. I wasn't paying attention.'' Mr. Tyler glared at me. Olivia looked down before smiling and slowly turning back around.

Two days passed. Olivia (I got a crazy feeling in my stomach at the thought of her, considering what was so entirely close to happening last time I saw her. I hated that music stand with a burning passion) and I finished our song, and we were supposed to turn it in that night. I waited outside the school where I was supposed to meet her for probably twenty minutes, and I didn't see any sign of her. I tried calling her a few times, but she never picked up. Ten minutes before the school closed, I tried again. This time, she answered.

''Where are you?"

When she spoke, her words were shaky and quiet. ''I can't come tonight, I'm sorry. Just turn it in without me.''

''I can't. All the writers have to be there or only one gets credit,'' I said.

It was quiet. All of a sudden, I heard yelling in the background, and someone screamed. Her voice came back a shaky whisper. ''I have to go, I'm so sorry. I'll be there tomorrow to turn it in.'' She hung up. I couldn't help feeling worried about her. She told us that her parents were involved in fights and drugs, so I found myself worrying about her a lot lately.

I decided to walk to her house. It took about fifteen minutes, and I finally came to her driveway. I heard the yelling before I could even see her house. When I knocked on her door, I heard a muffled shout, then footsteps coming towards the door. It slowly unlocked and opened. My heart stopped. Olivia was standing in the doorway, but she was covered in bruises, and there was a scar on her cheek, the outside of her arm, and across the back of her right hand. I could tell that she had been crying. My jaw dropped.

I didn't have time to say anything before a guy I guessed was her dad came barreling towards her with a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. His hand pressed hard on her shoulder, and dusted ashes in her hair. She winced at his grasp.

''Who are you?" he asked me. His words were slurred and drawn out. He stepped forward, and I backed up. An older lady I guessed was her mom came into view. My heart stopped when I noticed the knife in her hand. It's glinting silver surface was stained with red.

''Dad, please don't,'' Olivia whispered, but he just pushed her into the wall.

''Get out of here!'' he yelled at me. I glanced at Olivia, and noticed the scared look on her face. I didn't know why she still stayed here with them if her parents did this to her.

''_Leave now!_ _GET OUT_!'' he yelled, and took another step towards me. I glanced from him to Olivia and made my decision. Before I knew what was happening, I stepped forward and took her hand, then started to run up the driveway. She didn't hesitate on leaving. But, to my horror, her dad started to run after us. I ran straight towards my front door. I fumbled with the key for a second or two, and burst through the door. My parents and Reagan were at some school thing, so I didn't even have to worry about them.

I slammed the door shut and locked it. Then Olivia and I stood with our backs to the wall by the door. The only sound for the longest time was my pounding heart and Olivia's shaky breaths. Then, the clunking of footsteps on the porch. Olivia's breathing became paniked. The doorknob rattled and shook the whole door. I felt her tense up. I glanced down at her hand, which she was holding into a loose fist. There were red stains on the outside of her fingers that looked like they were coming from her palm.

After a few seconds, there was a frustrated grunt from outside, and the clunks of footsteps on the porch faded away. I waited until it was quiet for a solid fifteen seconds before letting out my breath. For the first time I glanced at Olivia. The scar on her cheek looked worse now that I could see it, and she was still breathing rapid, shaky breaths.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

OLIVIA

I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. I stared straight ahead of me, not wanting the silence to end. I started to feel dizzy, and the pain in my arms and hands were worse than ever. I had to keep telling myself that I was away from them now, and that they couldn't hurt me anymore, but the thoughts were brushed violently away when I realized that I had to go back.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Greyson's voice.

''Are you okay?" he asked me quietly. I hesitated. I could just tell him the truth. Or I could say what I said to everyone, that I was fine. I nodded. I hated that I had to keep lying to him. I wondered why I couldn't just open up and tell him everything.

''No, you're not,'' he replied, and stood in front of me. He glanced down at my hand, then back up at me. While staring deep into my eyes, he gently held my hand in his. Then, I winced in pain as he slowly pryed my fingers apart. He opened my hand and stared at it wide eyed. The pain was numbing, and eventually it went away. The inside of my hand was completely unrecognizable. When my mom had gotten a knife out, the first thing she did was wrap my fingers around it. She pushed my hand harder and harder onto the knife's surface until I was sure I would find one of my fingers on the floor. It was worse when she made me let go.

I had to try desperately hard not to cry.

''You can't go back there,'' he said suddenly, and dropped my hand.

''I have to.''

''No, you don't. You can't. Not if this happens. I won't let you.'' He glanced back down to my arms.

''I don't have anywhere else to go,'' I said.

''Anything would be better than this.''

''You mean going to a foster family, or orphanage would be better than a few bruises?"

''A few bruises?" His voice was raising. ''Olivia, this is really bad! Can't you see what's happening? Your parents could get a life sentence in jail for doing this.'' His gaze was intense on mine, but I made myself look down. I knew he was right. He took a step forward. When I wouldn't look at him, he tilted my chin up with his hand, so I had to.

''I'm serious,'' he said at a whisper.

There was a sudden loud knocking on the door. Somehow I ended up with Greyson's arms around me, and both of us were as far away from the door as you could have possibly gotten. They knocked again. I was so close to Greyson that I was sure that he could feel my heart pounding. One of his hands was around my waist, and the other on one of my shoulders. I figured that that was probably one of the many reasons my heart was pounding. The door was made of frosted glass, so you could see the silhouette of the person standing at the door. Greyson looked at it.

''Oh, crap,'' he muttered under his breath.

''What?"

''It's a cop.'' My already pounding heart kicked into high gear and sped at an alarming rate. After thinking it over for a minute, I started to pull away and walk towards the door. But Greyson held me tighter.

''What are you doing?" He said it like I was out of my mind.

''I have to go home,'' I replied simply, even though I was kind of enjoying being wrapped in his arms. He didn't have time to stop me before I opened the door.

The police officer took me home, where my parents yelled at me all night. The next day at school, Skylar and Trey were totally clueless on what had happened the night before. After explaining the entire ordeal to them at lunch, it left them wide eyed.

''Are you okay?" Skylar asked. I hated that everyone's attention was on me.

''Yeah. I'm fine.''

''That'll make a cool scar,'' Trey said, eying my arm. I glanced at it. I guess he was right.

I promised to meet Greyson at the school that night to turn our song in. I snuck out around eight thirty and he met me at the end of my driveway. The school was only a few minutes away, so time flew as we walked down the dark, slippery roads. Lots of snow had fallen the night before, so there was ice all over. Skylar had already told me about her incident with Trey, so I was determined to find at least some kind of friction on the sidewalks.

Greyson had given me a necklace, one that he said he never wore anyway. The chain was brown rope, and there was a gold, worn out coin with a star in the middle on the end. He said it was a piece of junk, but I liked it. I had been wearing it secretly ever since he gave it to me.

A few minutes later, we walked in the front doors. There was a long line to turn it in, considering it was later at night. After we walked back outside, the long walk back started. It was quiet for the first few seconds. I realized that I was thinking about Greyson a lot lately, for a reason I couldn't explain. Whenever I looked at him, or passed him in the halls, or when his shoulder accidently brushed against mine while we were writing at the middle school, I got a weird feeling in my stomach. I'll try to explain it. There is a ride at almost every amusement park, sometimes called _The Hangman_ or _The Scream Tower_. It's a huge, skinny tower with a row or two of seats wrapped around it. The riders go up to the very top, then you freefall almost all the way down, and just before you think you're going to crash to the cement underneath, you come screeching to a stop. Right as you're starting to fall, you get a dropping feeling in your stomach. That's what it felt like.

''What are you thinking about?" Greyson snapped me out of my thoughts. I realized that he had been looking at me the entire time. He was asking me that question a lot lately. I wanted to open up completely and say _I was thinking of you_, but I knew that it would probably just freak him out. I shrugged.

''Nothing.'' I glanced in his direction. ''What about you?" He started to smile and glanced at me, then when he saw that I was looking at him, quickly looked down.

''Nothing.'' The only sound was the snow crunching under our feet. It was a few seconds later when it happened. I was looking ahead, trying to not slip on the icy road, when Greyson's hand brushed against mine. I knew it wasn't an accident, because for a split second, one of his fingers wrapped around mine. My heart was pounding a million miles an hour. I was glad that we were at his house, so there weren't any awkward moments.

''See you tomorrow,'' he said quickly as he started walking up his driveway.

''Okay.'' My voice trailed off. Greyson had been very stand-offish lately, like he was trying to avoid getting into a deep conversation with me. And it was slowly making me feel like he didn't want me around anymore.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Greyson

My heart was pounding when I walked into my house. I had no idea that any girl could make me that nervous. It was like I was skeptical to start talking to Olivia because I was afraid something would slip. I could tell that she knew that something was up, because she was being a lot quieter than normal.

I also hated that I had to keep who I really was from her. I wanted her to know about me, and for her to like me for who I _actually_ was, not some secret identity I pretended to be. I decided to tell her.

''Would it be okay for me to tell _one person_?" I asked my mom that night. She didn't even look up from her magazine.

''No. Absolutely not.''

''I'm _positive_ that she won't tell,'' I tried, and my mom glanced up.

''Who's _she_?" she asked skeptically. Typical.

''One of my friends.'' She raised an eyebrow.

''If I haven't met her, the answer's a no.'' I hesitated.

''So if you meet her, then I can tell her?" She glanced up from under her glasses.

''If I approve, I guess so,'' she said.

Conveniently, we had end of semester reports to do in history, and we could choose partners. Olivia and I went to the computer lab on Thursday. It was dark, and there were hundreds of computers conviniently placed throughout the huge room. A few people were there, at the far edge. We had to take some information about World War II from some teacher made website. I glanced at Olivia, realizing that she typed just like she played the piano. Her fingers slid gently from key to key, never making any mistakes. I was also realizing for the first time that she was actually gorgeous. I didn't know why I was just now noticing it, it was so obvious. Her blue eyes shone in the dim light, and she bit her bottom lip. I knew that she did that whenever she was thinking really hard.

"None of these sites have anything on the Holocaust that sounds even the slightest bit reasonable,'' she said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I didn't catch a word of what she said.

''I guess I'll try and get some more tomorrow,'' she said, and turned towards me. I caught her eye. For the second time in a few days, we just stared at each other. A few seconds later, she quickly looked away and started to log off of her computer as if just realizing what was happening. I followed suit and we walked out in silence.

Later that day, I asked her to study with me that night. After eying me skeptically for a few seconds, she agreed. The second we walked in my front door, her jaw dropped. I stopped.

''What's wrong?" She glanced at me.

''Your house is huge,'' she said. I had forgotten that she had only seen it in the dark, and in the middle of an extremely paniky situation. She gaped at the chandelier in the dining room and the spiral staircase. Reagan came bounding out of the kitchen. She started to go upstairs, then stopped and glanced at Olivia.

''Who's that?" she asked.

''Reagan, please go awa-'' She walked backwards down the remaining stairs, and stood in front of Olivia. She glanced from me back to her.

''What's wrong with her?" she asked.

''What?"

''She's hanging out with _you_ so there has to be something wrong with her.'' She eyed Olivia skeptically, then slowly backed away and went up the stairs.

''Sorry about Reagan,'' I said when she left.

''No, it's fine,'' she replied casually. My dad strolled in from the living room, and stopped in his tracks.

''Hi,'' he said, glancing from me to Olivia.

''Dad, uh, this is Olivia.'' He looked at her, then smiled.

''Hi, nice to meet you,'' he said, looking at me. He slowly started walking up the stairs. When Olivia wasn't looking, he glanced at her, then gave me a thumbs up sign. I didn't know what _that_ was for.

We went up to my room and studied for the history test. It was over World War I and II, when the Nazis invaded Germany and almost anihilated the Jews during the Holocaust. Of course, I only knew that because Olivia had told me earlier that semester.

About an hour later, it started getting dark. Olivia said that she had to be home by six, so at five fifty, we went downstairs. Just as my mom was coming in.

''Oh,'' she said, wide eyed and surprised. I focused on the snow gently falling outside.

''Hi,'' Olivia said. I tried to focus my attention on her raspy voice. My dad came strolling into the room. Could this get any worse?

''Hi! You are...'' my mom said, holding out her hand. After glancing down, Olivia took it.

''Olivia.'' My mom smiled.

''Ah. _Twelfth Night._ Very good.'' Olivia smiled, and seemed to relax a little. My mom was an English teacher at the high school, so she knew a little about all those crazy authors Olivia read. Now, my dad was standing beside my mom. He tripped on one of Reagan's shoes, and groaned.

''I sware,'' he raised his voice and pointed at me. ''You kids are going to-'' He didn't finish because that's when Oliva flinched at his raised hand. All eyes were on her. She glanced back and forth between me and my dad. I guess she thought he was going to hit me or something. My dad's hand slowly lowered, and before anyone could say anything, she bolted outside. It was still quiet.

''What was that about?" Reagan had come downstairs. My mom looked at me too.

''Yes, I am asking myself the same question.'' She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. That either meant ''spill the beans'' or ''I got your report card today''. I sighed.

''I can't really tell you,'' I replied. ''I promised not to.''

''Promises are meant to be broken,'' Reagan said, leaning over the railing on the stairs.

''She told me that her parents are druggies, and sometimes they get carried away and hit her. That's where she got all the bruises and scars.'' My mom's eyes leaked with pity.

''Oh.'' For once, Reagan was silent. I pushed past my mom and into the cold.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

OLIVIA

I didn't mean to make a scene like that. I really didn't want everyone's attention on me. It made me feel uncomfortable. But I _really_ had to get out of there. I like Greyson's family. His parents don't fight and his sister's not in jail. But it scared me when his dad raised his hand like that. I didn't know why. It just did. I couldn't stand to be in there if Greyson's dad hit him. He didn't deserve it.

I also couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes and into the freshly fallen snow. Sometimes that happened and I couldn't help it. It scared me half out my skin when Greyson ran up from behind me. He had a bad habit of following me when I was in an awful mood. I tried to hide my face behind my jacket.

''Hey, sorry about that,'' he said immidiately. I looked away.

''It was nothing,'' I replied quietly. He walked in front of me.

''What's wrong?" I couldn't make myself look at him. That just made the tears fall faster.

''Olivia, seriously, what's wrong?" I finally looked up. He waited for me to say something. I stopped walking.

''I really don't know,'' I said. He continued staring at me. A small smile spread across his face.

''What?" He shook his head.

''Nothing.'' He ran his thumb over my cheek.

''I know you better than that. You're mad at something, or someone, but don't want to tell me what it is. Am I right?" I hesitated, then nodded.

''You do know that you can trust me, right? I promise I won't tell anyone.''

''But that's the thing. I can't even tell _you_. You'd be the first to know, anyway.'' I immidiately regretted saying it, but he smiled.

''Good.'' The snow had picked up. I suddenly realized that Greyson wasn't wearing a jacket.

''I should get home. See you tomorrow?" He nodded. When he turned away, I couldn't help smiling.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Greyson

The next week, Olivia and I decided to visit her brother again. It wasn't necesarilly my decision, but I would do anything to make her happy. Trey and Skylar couldn't come, so it was just us. We took the busses to the prison just like last time. Almost the entire way there, we listened to music. One of her songs came on, quieter than all the others. I actually started listening in the middle of the song.

_This night is sparking; don't you let it go_

_I'm wonderstruck; blushing all the way home_

_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_

_I was enchanted to meet you_

The next words hit me like a punch.

_Please don't be in love with someone else_

_Please don't have somebody waiting on you_

_Please don't be in love with someone else_

_Please don't have somebody waiting on you_

I glanced at Olivia. The words seemed to have no effect on her. Either that or she was just _really _good at hiding it.

_So this is me praying that_

_This was the very first page_

_Not where the storyline ends_

_My thoughts will echo your name_

_Until I see you again_

_These are the words I held back_

_As I was leaving too soon_

_I was enchanted to meet you_

I glanced at her again. Surely it wasn't just me that actually thought this song was saying something... But what if I was? What if it was just another song on a playlist that she didn't even care about? I shook the thoughts from my mind and stared straight ahead, waiting patienly for the next song to come on.

We got to the waiting room around an hour later. Casey was sitting at the same table in the same room as the time before. The conversation started off a little slow, then gradually picked up after we had been there for a while. Olivia left to go and get water, so it was just me and her brother. And the guard.

Right after the door shut quietly, Casey immidiately turned to me.

''So.'' I didn't know how to reply.

''So...'' He cracked a smile.

''Looks like my sister has a little bit of a thing for you.'' I could feel my eyes widen. He smirked.

''And you have a little bit of a thing for her.''

''Uhhh...'' I wondered how he knew that. Again, it was like he read my mind.

''Olivia and I are _extremely_ good at reading expressions.'' Oh crap.

''_She can do it too?_'' He smiled.

''Yup. It's a blessing and a curse. So,'' he leaned back in his chair. ''Let me hear it.''

''Hear what?"

''What's up with you and Olivia,'' he said in an 'isn't-it-obvious' sort of way.

''I don't know. We're just friends.'' He winced.

''Ouch. 'Just friends' is the worst phase. Listen, man, if you don't do something soon, it'll stay that way forever.'' He studied my reaction. His next words were quieter. ''You don't want to stay _just _friends, do you?" I sighed, then glanced up.

''No.'' He shrugged.

''So you like her a lot then?" I hesitated.

''I like her more than a lot.'' He smiled.

''Good. Because she,'' he glanced at the door, ''thinks the exact same way about you.''

I came into school the next day already in a crappy mood. My mom had said that she didn't want me to tell Olivia about who I actually was. I didn't talk during lunch, or the bus ride home. There seemed to be something wrong with Olivia too, because she was quieter than normal, meaning she hadn't spoken to me all day.

There was a decent amount of snow falling, and winter break was in a few weeks.

''What's up with you today?" Olivia asked me as we got off the bus.

''Nothing,'' I mumbled. I still hadn't forgotten what her brother had said to me the day before.

It was quiet. ''I hope you know that you can trust me with anything.'' I glanced at her, and my bad mood took over.

''You just don't get it, Olivia, you never do.'' She looked insulted.

''Because you won't ever tell me what's wrong,'' she said. The snow continued falling around us. I watched it gather in Oliva's hair and on her jacket. Eventually, I turned away, feeling like a jerk.

''Why don't you ever tell me anything? Keeping whatever it is that's bugging you locked up is worse than having it out in the open.'' I didn't want to get mad at her, but something took over. I stormed back over to her, and stopped a couple of feet from her. I was close enough to see the worry in her eyes.

''I'm surprised to hear you say that, Olivia,'' I shouted. ''_You_ of all people are telling _me_ to open up?'' She was taken aback by my yelling. I suddenly realized that my face was inches from hers.

''Why are you getting mad at me?'' she asked, looking hurt that I had yelled at her. I wasn't thinking. I turned around and looked over my shoulder.

''What do you know?" She looked ready to drop kick me across the street. I couldn't blame her.

''_More than you!_'' she yelled. I was surprised that she was being so loud, but recovered quickly. She didn't let me say anything. ''_You don't know anything! You don't even know what you have!'' _I could barely believe that she was yelling at me like this. ''_At least you have a father that loves you! You even have a sister that's around and mom that doesn't treat you like a freaking piece of crap! The one person that cares about me is IN JAIL! And you have the nerve to feel sorry for yourself? You big baby! You jerk!''_ Her words hit me like a punch, but I refused to let it show. I was also surprised at her use of the term, ''freaking piece of crap''. I wanted to say that I cared about her too, but she was furious now.

''_I even told you EVERYTHING! Everything I've been too scared to say to anyone else!''_

''If you're so mad then why did you tell me?" I yelled back. She looked at me in an 'isn't it obvious' sort of way.

''_Are you blind? I told you because I liked you!" _I couldn't say anything. For weeks I had been to afraid to say those words. Afraid that she wouldn't feel the same way. And now I realized that I should have said something. Casey was right. Now we'd always stay 'just friends'. And the fact that she said 'lik_ed_", as in past tense, was what made it worse.

She took a crumpled piece of paper from her bag, one that just hapened to have my writing in it. It was a page I had been working on for weeks. She tossed it into the snow in front of me. I remembered that I had written it about her, and suddenly felt embarassed that she had read it. ''Whoever you wrote that beautiful song about,'' she started. I noticed that her voice was more raspy than usual, and sounded strained. She glanced at the page, ''she's lucky a poet's in love with her.'' I noticed the dissapointed look on her face. Crap. I screwed everything up. And with that, she walked away. I almost called her back, but that would probably just make her even more furious at me.

I was so mad at myself that I didn't want to go home. I stormed to the middle school. I always found comfort in banging a few bars on the piano. It was like a stress reliever.

But when I glanced at the top of the piano, I saw a few pages torn out and wadded up on the floor, and around the ends of the piano. There was only one page left. Writing I recognized as Olivia's was scrawled only on the top of the page, like it was still a work in progress. I sat down, and felt guilty for reading it.

_It's become so hard_

_For me to be surprised_

_But you're bringing back the real me_

_No judgement in your eyes_

_It's the way you make me feel_

_Like I'm finding something real_

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

OLIVIA

I stormed home in an angry fog, half wanting to run back to Greyson and tell him I was sorry, that I had lost control, and everything I had been bottling up just came boiling out and I couldn't stop it. The other half wanted to pound his face into a locker, drop kick him across the street, and flush his head down the toilet.

But sadly, neither of those options came into reality. I dug my nails into my palm, making the scars on my left hand sear with pain, when I passed him in the halls, never giving it a second glance. I could tell he noticed. I was glad. Everytime I even dared to glance at him, he acted like he needed to to tell me something. I gave him the meanest glare I could muster, and continued walking, not even feeling the least bit of pity for being so mad at him.

The school's winter talent show was three weeks away. Everyone who wrote a song was encouraged to perform it in one way or another. Great. So not happening. Unless Greyson suddenly developed an amazing singing voice, we were out of luck.

We were assigned positions to get ready for the talent show in our last class of the day. I had been walking home for the past week to try and avoid talking to Greyson. I also avoided him during last period. Until Thursday. The talent show was the next day, so we were all making last minute preperations.

After class, as I was leaving, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me into a darker spot behind the curtains. I wanted to bolt out of the room when I realized that it was Greyson. He still had hold of my hand. I glanced down just as his fingers were slowly wrapping around mine, then pryed it from his grasp.

''I know that you're really mad at me right now, and you you have every right to be, but I _have_ to tell you something.'' His words sounded confident, but his eyes looked scared. His voice was quiet and held back, and almost hoarse. I wanted to listen to him, because I really cared about what he said, but I was still burning mad at him.

''What?" I hissed. Even after my snarling tone, he looked happy that I had spoken to him. But terrified at what he had to tell me.

''I actually wanted to tell you _way_ before this, and I was going to that night we were walking home last, but then I was a jerk, and, um...'' He let out a nervous laugh and looked down.

''I need to get home,'' I said angrily, and started to turn away.

''Wait!" He took my hand, and do believe that it was the gentlest anyone had ever touched me. It made my heart pound, and staring into his pleading brown eyes, I suddenly wasn't mad anymore. And I understood with terrifying clarity why my heart raced when I saw him, or why I spent hours daydreaming about him. I liked him. I liked him a _lot_.

''This really isn't easy to say, um, the only person outside of my family that knows is Trey.'' His eyes still looked scared. I wondered what could be so important that it was taking him this long to get to the point. I realized that he still had hold of my hand. And that I wasn't even trying to pull away.

''I went to school here almost two years ago,'' he said. I didn't really see why that was so important. ''I entered the talent show, and Reagan filmed it, then posted it on Youtube. Important people found it, and I've lived in California since then, recording and doing tours.'' It was silent. My brain was whirring. It couldn't be true. He wouldn't keep this from me. I knew him better than that. If I understood him right, he was actually famous, and came here to get a break. Whatever glimer of hope was left in our friendship, or what could have eventually and hopefully become of it, instantly broke into a million pieces. His eyes pleaded for some kind of reaction from me.

''And another thing.'' He looked at me again. ''I really li-''

Just then, Saber came from out of nowhere, and stood by Greyson.

''I always knew it,'' she snarled at me. Her words struck at the far edge of my conciousness.

''You're just stupid.'' I was still staring at Greyson, speachless. I felt a sudden wave of emotions.

First, I was starstruck. After all, I was standing in front of an international popstar. Second, I was angry that he had kept this from me. Lastly, I was incredibly sad. I knew that things would never go back to the way they were. It was like he was a completely different person than the one I had just spent three months getting to know, and possibly love. Saber turned towards him.

''Do you really need to choose?" she asked him sarcastically. She tried to take his hand, but he shook it away. She glared at him.

''I sware, I'll tell _everyone_ about you,'' she said. He didn't hesitate to shove her off him.

''Hey!'' she shouted. The quiet murmurs in the cafeteria were silenced. She opened the curtain, revealing where we were standing. She walked back over to Greyson. ''_This_ is the guy that got famous in sixth grade.'' Everyone's eyes got wide. In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by screaming girls. I turned around slowly, staring a few feet in front of me, and started to walk away, and didn't even take a second glance back when he called my name.

He left the next day. ''Back to Hollywood,'' everyone said. I was at Skylar's house the next night. We were sitting in the dark watching some movie on ABC.

''I'm sick of this,'' she said, and flipped through the channels. After we got to the fourties, she went to go and make more popcorn. I proceeded to find a show to watch, and there was an interview on channel 67. And you wouldn't believe who was sitting in the chair next to the anchor. Greyson. It took a minute to process. Greyson was on a tv show. Then I remembered the day before.

''And we heard that you recently took a trip home to Missourri. How was that?" The old, dark headed guy said.

''It was fun. I got to spend some time with old friends and met some new ones too.'' It took a lot of effort not to smile at the sound of his voice.

''Can you tell us any names?" the man pressed on.

''I think they'd appriciate it if I didn't say,'' he replied with a smile. The anchor smiled, obviously upset that Greyson hadn't fully answered his question.

''And we found some pictures from your vacation that leaked out!'' the guy exclaimed, pointing to a flatscreen next to his desk. Greyson froze. The screen flashed to a picture of him and Trey walking out of school, and one of him getting off the bus with Saber on his heels, in which the audience laughed.

Then, the very last picture flashed up. My jaw dropped, and his did too. It was a picture of me and him walking. I remembered that it was the day when we actually first met. I remembered how incredibly happy I was to have more than one friend. So much for that.

''Who's this?" the anchor asked curiously. Greyson's jaw was still hanging.

''I've heard from inside sources that she's a big fan of yours.'' It was silent. ''Do you know her?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. ''No, I don't. I guess I was just walking past her one day. But I'm sorry I didn't get to meet her.''

I don't know what I expected. Maybe I expected a 'yes' or a 'not really'. But definetly not a 'no'. He just basically denied everything that had happened in the past four months. Everything. The good, bad, and just plain awkward things that had happened were thrown away like they were nothing. I flicked the channel back to ABC and sat there, unable to do anything. At the far edge of my consciousness, I saw Skylar walk in. My mind was still on that freaking interview. I wanted to scream.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

OLIVIA

Friday was the talent show. I sat by the wall, facing the side of the stage. A piano and guitar were placed center stage for the performers. I brought my book, one I had borrowed from the bookstore. The first few acts played, but none were really any good. The last performer was announced, and at the far edge of my conciousness, I heard the ginormous applause, bigger than anyone else's. Still reading, I didn't really focus on the words.

_Slowly fading away_

_You're lost and so afraid_

_Where is the hope in a world so cold_

_Looking for a distant light_

_Someone who can save a life_

_Living in fear_

_That no one will hear your cries_

The smooth voice sounded familiar too, like I had heard it a thousand times before. I instantly realized with blinding clarity who it was. I looked up and saw Greyson at the piano, playing the song I had written, and some of the one we had done together.

_I am with you_

_I will carry you through it all_

_I won't leave you, I will catch you_

_When you feel like letting go_

_Because you're not, you're not alone_

I noticed that he was looking directly at me while he sang.

_It's become so hard_

_For me to be surprised_

_But you're bringing back the real me_

_No judgement in your eyes_

_It's the way you make me feel _

_Like I'm finding something real_

The chorus broke out again, and he still kept his eyes on me the entire time. I waited until the song was over, and the applause filled the auditorium before walking out. I couldn't help smiling.

That night, my parents were fighting again, so I walked to the middle school. I had finished one of my songs, and re-written it so all the cross outs and mistakes weren't there. Just as I was unlocking the door, it opened, and guess who stepped out. Greyson. I'm positive that my heart stopped. For the longest time, we just stood there, staring at each other. I wanted to be mad at him. So freaking mad at him. For yelling at me before he left. For keeping his giant secret from me. For denying our friendship. But I couldn't. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help wrapping my arms around him. It made me feel even better when he hugged me back.

''I'm so sorry,'' I said quietly.

''For what?" I was glad to hear his voice again.

''Being a jerk. I shouldn't have been so mean to you.'' He held me tighter.

''Back at you,'' he replied. After letting go, it was kind of awkward. We went inside, and I played my song for him. I was still a little weirded out that I was playing in front of someone, but the feeling subsided after a few bars. He smiled when it was over. After a while, I had to go home. I put my sheet music away and started to walk down the stage steps.

''Hey, Olivia?'' Greyson called after me. I quickly turned around, feeling stupid that I had been so eager to answer. I walked back up the steps.

''Yeah.'' I stood in front of him, by the side of the piano.

''You're not mad at me, or anything, right?" he said nervously.

''Not at all, why?" He smiled.

''No reason,'' he said, and looked at the back wall. It was weird that he was famous. It was like things would never go back to the way they were. I wished that they would.

''What are you thinking?" he asked me. That was about the thirtieth time he had asked me that in the past month. It was kind of strange how he always wanted to know what was on my mind, and it always seemed to disappoint him when I said 'nothing'. It was like he wanted me to admit that I was thinking about him. Wanted me to say that I liked him, a lot.

''Nothing. You?" He continued looking at me.

''Honestly, I'm thinking about you.'' I could feel my eyes get wide. He stepped closer to me. ''You've been on my mind a lot lately. Don't ask me why, because I don't get it either.'' He stood in front of me only a few inches away. That falling felling came back, as it did whenever he was close to me. It was silent. The only sound I could hear was my pounding heart.

But then, that's when my heart stopped. That's when the dropping feeling in my stomach got even stronger, like I was free falling off a cliff, and it felt like fireworks were going off in my stomach. That's when Greyson kissed me. At first, I was so surprised that I didn't kiss him back. He kissed me a few times, lightly. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Then, he pulled back.

Greyson

''Close your eyes,'' I said quietly, and she drew a breath. I brought my lips slowly onto hers. Fireworks went off as sparks flew between the two of us. Her lips were warm and welcoming, moving perfectly with mine, tasting better then I thought anything could taste. I put one hand under her chin and the other tangled in her hair. She moved her hands to my neck, deepening the kiss and smiling under it. I licked her bottom lip for permission in, which she accepted and let me roam her mouth with my tongue. I would have gladly stayed like this forever. One of my fingers strayed to a familiar, worn out rope chain around her neck. I followed it with my fingers until I had a cold, scuffed up metal coin in my hand. I pulled back unwantingly, and stared into her eyes.

''You're wearing it.'' My voice was no louder than a whisper, as if I didn't want anyone to hear. She smiled sweetly.

''How many people do you know that can say an international popstar gave them a necklace?" her raspy voice rang out.

''One,'' I replied simply, resting my forehead against hers, then kissing her again.


End file.
